| Electronics > Beginners |
| My purchase list for my new lab -- budget $1000+, thoughts? |
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| Mr. Scram:
--- Quote from: AnyNameWillDo on July 22, 2018, 10:04:17 pm ---Should I be getting something better than the Rigol DS1054Z (when unlocked to 100 MHz), then? --- End quote --- If you want to err on the safe side, you could get yourself a 1 GHz Keysight mix signal oscilloscope. Unfortunately, you need about 15 times your budget for that. There's always better gear and it's foolish to think you can buy anything and be set for life. Even that 1 GHz oscilloscope has its limitations. Worse still, oscilloscopes with exceptional capabilities are often not that nice to live with when you want to take some simple measurements. Horses for courses. Look at almost any lab and you'll find a collection of different devices with overlapping capabilities tailored to the interests and needs of the user. You could buy an expensive 6 1/2 digit multimeter and still be out of luck when you need to carry your DMM with you in the field. In that case a good portable unit is what you need. So what to do? Get yourself a solid basic set and start figuring out your needs and wants. Add to the collection when you want to do something that you currently can't do. There's plenty of solid advice on what gear isn't a waste of money for a beginner. As you figure things out, you'll inevitably add to your collections. The DS1054Z is a very solid oscilloscope for beginners and more advanced tinkerers alike. It comes with a stupid amount of functions for a ridiculously low price. Better yet, they keep their value. You could use it for a while and if you really need an upgrade, sell it for a healthy amount of money. You'll have learned a lot for almost no money at all. |
| rstofer:
On reflection, the Siglent SPD3303X has a problem with the binding posts. Non standard spacing is inexcusable. Cheap binding posts could be replaced but the spacing problem is forever. I had forgotten about this issue but I was aware of it. I may have watched the video at some point. ETA: I just finished watching the video. I think I'll just use my DP832. I think I made the right choice. |
| Mr. Scram:
--- Quote from: rstofer on July 22, 2018, 10:42:30 pm ---On reflection, the Siglent SPD3303X has a problem with the binding posts. Non standard spacing is inexcusable. Cheap binding posts could be replaced by the spacing problem is forever. I had forgotten about this issue but I was aware of it. I may have watched the video at some point. --- End quote --- I think it's a rebadge of a GW-Instek unit, which doesn't have the issue. Who's rebadging who I don't know. |
| rstofer:
--- Quote from: AnyNameWillDo on July 22, 2018, 10:04:17 pm ---Should I be getting something better than the Rigol DS1054Z (when unlocked to 100 MHz), then? --- End quote --- There are only 3 scopes at the entry level and two of them are the new Siglents. Study carefully the current state of the firmware before going in that direction. I'm not a buyer, I don't know where the firmware stands. This debate comes up weekly and it always ends the same way - a draw. Rigol: Unlocking the DS1054Z and updating to the latest firmware results in a very nice scope for $350 (Amazon). The user interface is slow and it's never going to improve. Accept it or buy elsewhere. I don't have an issue with it but there is an owner around here who really hates their scope. FFT is, at best, marginal. I do FFT with an Analog Discovery 2. Siglent: SDS1202X-E 2 channel 200 MHz for $379. If 2 channels are acceptable (and for me they are not) then for just about the same price as the Rigol you get 200 MHz and you don't have to unlock anything. I have read that the UI is superior but I'm not a buyer. I haven't studied the matter. Look through the Test Equipment forum. SDS1204X-E 4 channel 200 MHz for $740. This would be the upgrade over the DS1054Z but it's twice as much money and then some. Bandwidth is the most important spec right after channels. This one has it all, good UI, bandwidth, channels, decent FFT, everything in one box. But it's expensive. It is also fairly new, check around the Test Equipment forum for the firmware issues. In my view the DS1054Z is a great scope for the price. Had the SDS1204X-E been available, I would have bought it instead. But that doesn't alter the fact that the Rigol does the job and it does it well. It may turn out that my Rigol gets dedicated to my analog computers. If so, I'm in the market for a new scope and that will very likely be the SDS1204X-E. After I do some research. |
| AnyNameWillDo:
Yeah -- for now I think I am going to stick to the Rigol DP832 and the Rigol DS1054Z for the PSU / oscilloscope. Those two things alone eat up a fair chunk of the budget so I think it's probably a good sign to keep things there for the time being, haha. |
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